Power struggle to play out in tribal election

MASHPEE — When Cedric Cromwell and Aaron Tobey were swept into the Mashpee Wampanoag government's tribal office four years ago amid a leadership scandal, they promised reforms and transparency.

By GEORGE BRENNAN

capecodtimes.com

By GEORGE BRENNAN

Posted Jan. 22, 2013 at 2:00 AM
Updated Jan 22, 2013 at 6:39 AM

By GEORGE BRENNAN

Posted Jan. 22, 2013 at 2:00 AM
Updated Jan 22, 2013 at 6:39 AM

TRIBAL ELECTIONS

There are five contested races including chairman and vice chairman, with a total of 17 candidates running.Polls will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 10, at Mashpee High School. Only elders may v...

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TRIBAL ELECTIONS

There are five contested races including chairman and vice chairman, with a total of 17 candidates running.

Polls will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 10, at Mashpee High School. Only elders may vote from 1 to 2 p.m.

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MASHPEE — When Cedric Cromwell and Aaron Tobey were swept into the Mashpee Wampanoag government's tribal office four years ago amid a leadership scandal, they promised reforms and transparency.

Now the chairman and vice chairman say they've kept those campaign promises and they want four more years.

Both will have to overcome challengers in the Feb. 10 tribal election, even as they continue to negotiate with Gov. Deval Patrick for a casino compact for the tribe's proposed $500 million casino in Taunton.

Cromwell, 47, a former employee of Fidelity Investments, is being challenged by former tribal council member Richard Oakley, 60, a retired Mashpee Department of Public Works employee, and David Pocknett, 59, who was the tribe's vice chairman for 18 months and works for Mashpee's maintenance department.

Cromwell said the tribe has made progress in health care, housing and economic development under his watch.

"I feel like I was bred to do this," he said, noting his mother's 30 years of service as the tribe's secretary. "Let's continue to move the tribe forward together."

During Cromwell's tenure, the tribe moved away from a deal it had to build a $1 billion casino on 539 acres in Middleboro. The tribe is now pursuing a $500 million casino on 170 acres in a Taunton industrial park.

Both Oakley, who served under the previous administration on the tribal council, and Pocknett said they prefer the Middleboro site, but would not look for a return to that deal.

"If I was chairman I would carry on negotiations," Oakley said about Taunton. "I wouldn't hold up the process anymore."

Pocknett, who said the tribe is missing out on the possibility of expansion because of the significant land difference between the two projects, agreed. "At this point, you can't keep jumping around," he said.

Oakley said he doesn't believe the tribe is better off than it was four years ago. He said he hopes to unify tribe members.

"We have tribal members who are hurting. They're having a really hard time," he said. "Do we have anything in place for them? I don't think so."

Pocknett is looking to make reforms such as adding elected ethics and finance committees. "You need that for the checks and balances," he said. "You have to restore people's trust in the tribe." He said he has a record of winning grants for youth services and fuel assistance.

Cromwell said services for tribe members have improved and he's looking to continue that in the coming months. "A change in administration is not a good thing at this time," he said.

Tobey, 56, who worked for the post office before being elected, is being challenged by Jessie Baird, 49, who has served on the tribal council and is director of a program aimed at reclaiming the Wampanoag language.

Baird said she also supports the tribe's casino efforts in Taunton and worked on documenting the tribe's historic ties to the city for its land-in-trust application. She would like to see more emphasis on reclaiming the tribe's land, which she said was the point of the effort to gain federal recognition.

"We're not investing in our cultural programs," she said. "Right now really we have a dropout rate of 50 percent. Not coincidentally, that coincides with our unemployment rate of 49 percent. We need to be looking at cultural programs that keep kids engaged."

Tobey said the tribe has made progress in recent years. He pointed to the compact he helped negotiate with the state to demonstrate the importance the administration places on land and rights. Though the compact was rejected by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, Tobey said he will continue to make land a priority.

"I like to think that we've changed the perception of the tribe," Tobey said. "I think we've earned the respect of those who are looking in under a microscope and seeing what we're doing. There's transparency and the way we do business overall is the right way."

Baird said she would like to make changes to the tribe's constitution. For example, she doesn't like that the chairman, vice chairman, treasurer and secretary are all up for re-election the same year. "That spells a recipe for continuity disaster," she said.

Tobey would like to continue his role as an advocate, helping incarcerated tribe members transition back into the community, and helping others with housing and job issues.